The Williams Part Two
Part One
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Summary: It's their first date! Doesn't start off on the right foot but the night is young so it can still recover...right?
A/N: Yes I am reposting this bc for my last couple writings I was like 'aw shucks my posts sure aren't getting the interactions like they used too' ... it was bc i am an I D I O T who had my privacy settings set to keep my posts hidden in the tags/search results. Anyways.
The bar is too crowded, the music is too loud, and it has an undercurrent smell of fake cheese. Like the kind they'd serve over nachos at The Palace. Back when Will was a kid and videogames were more important than dates.
Now heâs twenty years old, crammed into a booth that has a couple of mysterious stains, and sipping lukewarm beer out of sight of the bartender. Theyâre probably too busy to notice- or to even care, but heâs always been a little on edge when it comes to breaking the rules.Â
During the afternoon he spent with Bill at The Bean he was really hoping it would end with Bill asking him out. Luck was on his side; for once.Â
Itâs just that he wasnât exactly picturing their first date with all of their friends in attendance. Maybe he was a little presumptuous to assume that their first date would be a private affair.Â
Bill invited him to Richieâs open mic, implying that his friends would be there. It left him feeling a littleâŚput out because maybe Bill only wanted to be his friend. But then Bill told him they could sneak off afterward to go do their own thing, that he had an idea. He followed it up with a wink, one that looked ridiculous yet charming in a weird way that only Bill could pull off.Â
But things are never simple in Willâs life and he later learned that Richie also invited Mike. Apparently, while they were scheming in his and Billâs love life. What was surprising was that Mike was going - and was bringing El; at Richieâs instance.Â
He had a lot of questions but heâs starting to see the answers. Richie isnât on stage yet, if you could even call that a stage, itâs more like a literal soap box set up by the bar. Some other act is on right now, trying desperately to speak over the music. Mike, El, and Stanley are standing around a table by the stage.Â
He doesnât have an opinion on Stanley yet, this is the first night theyâve ever formally spoken but itâs obvious why Richie insisted they bring El. The man with the chocolate neat curls keeps biting back at the poor comedian, getting a rise out of El every time he does. When El laughs, her eyes fleetingly closing, Stan is smiling at her like heâs made a great accomplishment. Heâs only poking fun at the comedian to make El laugh. Will wonders if El has noticedâŚprobably not. She never notices when someoneâs interested in her.
Along with Stanley and Richie, heâs met Billâs other four friends. Ben and Beverly, a couple, Eddie- Billâs first friend as he introduced himself as, and their own Mike. Their Mike is much sweeter than Willâs.Â
Those four are at the bar. They were sitting in the booth with them but when Bill came back with his and Willâs beers, they each started making excuses to get up. None of them came back and theyâre not even trying to hide the fact theyâre hanging at the bar. They left him and Bill alone on purpose.Â
In the booth Bill shifts in his seat next to him, his jeans making that awkward sound when they rub against the plastic of the seat. He looks vaguely uncomfortable and while Will has been sipping on his drink Bill has almost finished his.Â
Bill is rubbing at the disintegrating label of his beer bottle, an awkward silence filling the void between them. Theyâve already run through all the safe questions, âdid you find this bar okay?â, âhow were classes yesterday?â, âdo you like your drink?â.
Itâs such a tonal shift from their conversation at The Bean. Bill had had moreâŚconfidence if Will had to pin it down to something. They talked about Billâs writings- heâs a horror writer, and Will had shown him some of his paintings. They had connected so easily then and he doesnât understand why now is so different. The whole thing has him feeling a little anxious.Â
Bill swishes his bottle, running empty, âGuess it's time for another,â he says as he stands. He nods towards Willâs bottle, âDo you need another one?â
Will shakes his head and just like that heâs alone. He deflates in his seat when Bill is out of sight, letting his head thud against the back of the booth. Maybe this was a mistake, maybe Bill was better off being âThe Writerâ that he got to pine over from a distance.
âWhatâs shaking my second favorite William?â Richie cuts him out of his quickly spiraling thoughts, sliding into the booth across from him.Â
Richie has cleaned up for tonight- but his definition of âclean upâ is far from what the normal person would consider. Heâs wearing a silk blue button up with a black vest loosely tied in the front. Itâs flattering in a weird way. Light smudges of eyeliner line his eyes behind his magnified lenses and thereâs a cigarette tucked behind his ear, almost hidden in his barely tamed curls. At least Will thinks itâs a cigarette.
âItâs fine, nothing much,â he replies, hoping his dejection isnât showing on his face.
Richie just hums, rapping his knuckles against the table. He just now notices that Richie has freshly painted his nails black. He jerks his chin towards the bottle in Willâs hands, âDidnât take you as a fan of Bud Light.â
He sets his barely drinked beer on the table, âItâs fine, not my first choice but Bill ordered for us.âÂ
âMakes sense, Billâs always been fond of his piss water,â he makes a move to stand, âI can get you another drink if you want, we donât gotta tell Big Bill.â
Will snatches Richieâs wrist before he can fully stand up. Slowly he sits back and down and watches Will with curious eyes. Will starts back peddling, âItâs fine, really. Youâre supposed to go on soon right? Iâd hate for you to miss your cue because you're stuck at the bar getting me a drink.â
Richie ignores most of his weak statement, âYa know, for a guy whoâs supposed to be on a hot date, youâve said 'fineâ three times in the last minute.â When he canât find anything to say, Richie does so for him, âBilliam is being horribly awkward isnât he?â
He gives, sighing, âJust a little- and I donât understand. We were having a nice time back at The Bean, I donât get why this time is different.â
Will is entirely unprepared for what Richie tells him next, âItâs because this is a date and Bill hasnât been on a date in two years, not since his last, horrible, boyfriend,â He leans forward on the table and it throws Will off a little at how serious heâs being, âLook, Big Bill? Heâs good at being charming and swooning with people, but dating? Heâs worse at it than I am. He over-thinks it. Sure, heâs a hopeless romantic, but he struggles with new people when they arenât so new anymore. Been burned a couple of times because of them.â
âI- I seeâŚand I understand that. I donât date often because new people intimate me,â Will takes another sip of his beer, feeling a little overwhelmed. He doesnât have any exes, heâs barely gone on dates before.Â
But then Richie snorts, âSo youâre both bad at dating. Great.â
He frowns at him, âYou have any advice then?â
Richie raps his knuckles against the table again, in a drum roll manner, âMatter of fact I do. Make him talk- and not about the boring stuff. Ask him when he had his first beer or better yet find out if heâs an actual monster fucker for me if you will? His stories are telling but I need evidence,â Willâs about to inject because he is not asking about that but Richie continues, âFine leave the monster fucking questions for date two- but Iâm serious, ask him about the fun stuff, the important stuff and show you have a genuine interest in him and heâll be waxing poetics about ya by the end of the night.âÂ
This makes him feel better, gives him a look into Bill- one he wasnât expecting, and lets him know how to get to know Bill better from his own wordsâŚitâs just thereâs one anxiety of his lingering. âSo itâs not me? I didnât do anything to make him not interested in me anymore?â
Richie chuckles, âWilliam, my William hasnât shut up about you since he laid eyes on you. No offense but it was a little insufferable. You could probably spit in his face and heâd still be interested in youâŚactually, maybe heâd be more interested in you then, I donât know what heâs into.âÂ
His face suddenly feels hot, âShut up,â he mumbles, looking down.
Richie just smiles back, âSo what are you going to do when Bill comes back?â
â...Ask him about his first time drinking piss water?â
âThere ya go!â he shoots finger guns at him, âNow if you donât mind, Iâm going to go flirt with my date before my show.â
His what-  âAre you talking about Mike?âÂ
âMy future one true love? Yes absolutely,â he replies without missing a beat.Â
He looks back at him incredulously, âDoes Mike know heâs on a date right now?â
âHe will, itâs all part of my master plan. Wait ân see.â
Part of him thinks he could do the responsible friend thing and warn Mike of Richieâs intentions, let Mike decide from there- but Mike did dig his own grave when he decided to meddle in his love life. So instead Will says, âYou said you were bad at dating too so some advice; Mike likes to play hard to get, and heâs dramatic in the way he likes to be chased.âÂ
Richieâs eyes twinkle, âWell Papa likes a good chase,â he winks at him as he flies out of the booth, not even giving Will enough time to internally cringe at him calling himself âPapaâ.
He watches Richie join the others at the table in front of the stage. Richie throws a haphazard arm around Mikeâs shouldersâŚwho looks annoyed and snaps something at him that Will canât hear from here but he doesnât shake Richie off.Â
âEverything okay over huh-here?â
Will snaps his head towards Bill, heâs standing by the edge of the table, fidgeting on his feet. There's a new bottle in his hand- this oneâs label is still intact, and itâs half drunk. He mustâve been waiting for Richie to leave before heading back.Â
âYeah, Richie was just seeking my advice,â he white lies, scooting more into the booth in a way that he hopes comes off as inviting, âStop standing and sit down with me.â
Bill smiles, sliding in, âWhat advice were you giving him?â
âOn how to woo my Mike- speaking of which, did you know Richie was going to trick Mike into going on a date with him?"
He just shrugs his shoulders, âI didnât but that s-sounds like RichâŚdid he say anything else?â
âWhy? Worried he spilled some of your embarrassing childhood secrets?â Will smirks.
Bill scoffs, âHe wouldnât do that,â Will meets his gaze, eyebrow raised and Bill starts to feel not so sure, âHe didnât do that- right?â
âNo he didnât do that, Iâm waiting on you to tell me those.â When Bill smiles Will takes it as a small victory. The tension between them is already lessening and heâs determined to keep it rolling and not let them fall back into awkwardness when this spell has run its course. âThough he did tell me to ask you about the first time you tried beer?â
The tips of Billâs ears turn red as he ducks his head, âShit you donât wanna hear about that.â
âOh but now I really do,â he leans closer to him. The smell of a woody cologne and lingering cigarette smoke invades his nose and he wonders if itâs possible to miss a smell after only experiencing it once.Â
He can already see the bravado seep back into Bill as he gives in with a little smile, âIt was freshman year and all us Losers thought it would be a cool idea to sneak into Eddie Corcoranâs seniors only party,â his voice has taken on that slow, smooth, tone again and heâs not tripping on as many words as he was, âWe were successful tooâŚuntil Eddie Corcoran confronted us and tried to kick us outâŚâ Will nods for him to go on, âWell letâs just say the moment Corcoran confronted us the beer we had been stealing all night decided to vacate the premises of my stomachâŚonto his shoes. Got my ass beat that night.â
âAnd you still drink it?â he teases.
âIt was my first love, what c-can I say?â Bill lays an arm across the back of the booth. Itâs not on Willâs shoulders but itâs close enough, âTell me, what was teenage Will like? Any raging parties?âÂ
He snorts, âThe only parties I was going to as a teenager were Dnd ones.â Heâs not afraid of Bill thinking of him as a nerd, he saw the Battlestar Galactica keychain on his laptop bag. It was cute.
âLike with elves and shit? Were you an elf?â
Will shakes his head, laughing, âNo I wasnât just an elf! I was also the Partyâs wizard.âÂ
âA wizard huh?â Bill takes a slow sip of his beer, glancing towards him, âYou sure put a spell on me.â
Willâs brain short circuits. Bill just stares back at him, a small blush climbing his neck. He just has to shove Bill in the side with his elbow, âThat is the worst pickup line I have ever heard!âÂ
He gives him a mock offended look, âI was trying woo you, William!â
Willâs about to retort when a speaker comes on to announce Richie as the next comedian. Mike, Ben, Bev, and Eddie all rush to cram back into the booth with Will and Bill. Eddie snaps at Bill to scoot in more so that he can sit down.Â
Billâs thigh ends up pressed against his- in fact, his whole body would be if Will wasnât leaning a little bit forward. Thereâs very little space between them and WillâŚheâs not mad about it. At this proximity, he feels the heat radiating from Bill, can feel the vibrations of his chest when he laughs, and honestly he just falls more into the encapsulation that is Bill. Â
The arm Bill had resting on the back of the booth comes down to rest across his shoulders very lightly. Almost as if Bill is asking for permission. Will leans back, securing the arm more around his shoulders in answer. There is so much heat radiating between them he feels like heâs going to combust. Heâs never cared so much about a guy liking him before and he thinks Bill does like him like that but also he always carries around a seed of doubt about anything good happening to him.
It makes it hard to focus on Richieâs act as he starts his act, clearly in his element. Will tries to pay attention, he does, but his mind is fogged by the smell of Billâs cologne and the rumbling of his chest against his side every time he laughs at one of Richieâs jokes.
Stan, El, and Mike (Willâs Mike) opt to stay around the table near the stage. If Stan was heckling the last poor guy, he is absolutely ruthless toward Richie. Who throws it right back his way. It was more amusing than Richieâs jokes. He has a hunch that they were both showing off for Mike and El.Â
Bill and his friends sitting in the booth arenât safe from Richieâs terror either. He throws a joke out about Eddieâs mom, one only they laugh at and he pokes fun at Ben. Something about The New Kids On The Block? At this point, Will was too wrapped up in Bill to register it completely. It isnât until Richie targets him during his act does he get Willâs full attention back.
âNow now, Iâm not the only love bird on a date tonight,â he whistles while Mike makes a small protest from the table, âMy good friend Big Bill is here tonight on a date. Ironically! With a guy also named William,â he pauses for a dramatic moment, âYou see if I was on a date with a man named Richard it would be double the Dick but you see with my friend Bill, heâs the one getting double the Willys tonight.âÂ
There's a modest amount of laughter that he earns from the bar patrons. This is one of his more successful jokes of the night. Beverly is dying in their booth and Ben gives Will an apologetic look but heâs still smiling. Will wants to curl up and disappear before his face turns into a tomato.Â
âF-fuck you, boy!â Bill yells but heâs barely fighting back a smug smile. He nudges Will with his hand resting on his shoulder, âJust ignore him, heâs a dickwad. Weâre about to luh-leave anyway.â
A mixture of excitement and trepidation fills his stomach. On one hand, he has no idea what Bill has planned for them for the rest of the night which is exciting, and on the other, thatâs exactly what worries him. Will Byers is a virgin. Itâs justâŚnever came up before. Being gay in a small town can do that.
But they just got over their awkward conversation bump, surely Bill isnât expecting that to magically segway into them having sex? Because if so theyâre just going to land right back into an awkward conversation when he has to fess up heâs a virgin and he doesnât plan on losing it after one lukewarm date and even more lukewarm beer.Â
Richieâs set comes to an end and everyone starts to part ways. Mike Hanlon, Eddie, Beverly, and Ben were going to another bar on the side of the city, and Mike Wheeler and Richie were going to tag along. Willâs Mike isnât a bar person so heâs continuing to be surprised tonight by his friendâs decisions. El wants to go home- no surprise there, because she really isnât a bar person and Stan insists on driving her back. Hopefully, she notices Stanâs obvious flirting on the drive.
Bill asks if heâd like to go with everyone to the next bar and itâs clear that heâs giving Will an out of being alone together. But the thing is- despite his reservations, he wants to see what Bill has planned for them. Bill doesnât act like a guy who is going to try to pressure him into doing anything he doesnât want to. Doesnât seem like his style.Â
He takes Billâs hand, acting braver than he feels, âI just wanna hang out with you.â
The smile Bill gives him in response is beautiful.Â
-
Bill doesnât disclose much about where theyâre going when they crawl into his silver truck. Will didnât know he had a vehicle, he never drives to The Bean and when he asks about this, Bill just waves him off, saying that driving in New York is too stressful for his tastes.Â
On the way over Will tries to get some information out of him about where theyâre heading as the excitement builds. Bill appears very sure of himself that this is a place that Will is going to be very happy about. To say he is intrigued would be an understatement.Â
Curiously itâs some type of office building Bill drives them up to. He jumps out of the car without a word and heads towards the doors, leaving Will no choice but to follow him. The temperature has dropped significantly and even with his large coat, he crowds close to Bill as he unlocks the glass doors.Â
Bill gets it unlocked and heads inside, turning back to Will when he doesnât follow him, âYou coming?â
He nervously glances at his surroundings, reading the sign âGrayâs Design Company Coming Soon,â painted onto one of the front windows. Trespassing wasnât something he considered he would be doing tonight.Â
âAre you sure we should be here?â The last thing he wants is to be is a âNervous Nellieâ as Mike has called him before butâŚtheyâre trespassing.Â
Bill must somehow read his mind, dangling the key he used to get in, âItâs okay, we have per-permission.â Heâs still a little nervous but he follows Bill inside.Â
The inside of the building is gutted, and clearly being renovated. Plastic sheets litter the floor and hang from the ceiling and briefly, Will is reminded of that one episode of Dexter Max had forced him to watch.
Will only glances away from Bill for a second but when he looks back Billâs gone. Okay, now heâs starting to panic. âBill?! Whereâd you go?!â
A hand on his shoulder startles him, making him yelp. Bill looks down at him with a smile full of mirth, âKeep up, I want you to s-see this.â
âYouâre not taking me somewhere to kill me right?â Heâs only half joking.Â
Bill rolls his eyes, and takes his hand, âCome on.â
They push through two more plastic sheets and Will sees why Bill was being impatient to show him. The sight before him takes his breath away.Â
Itâs the first actual room theyâve walked into and it is filled to the brim with art. There are canvases in stacks leaning against the walls, sculptures on pedestals, and tables filled with sketches. The art styles are all different signifying this isnât the collection of one person. He just has to touch.Â
The first table he approaches has sketches all done in charcoal. Theyâre smudged from rubbing against each other but he can make out the sketches of the people. Just strangers that are going about their everyday life, probably unaware of their portrait being created.Â
On the next table are unframed works of watercolor. All vivid and seeming to leap off the page. Some depict still life while some are settings. Places pulled from the artistâs mind, maybe places that they wish they could visit or just simply places that are not real but still beautiful all the same. These are his favorites.Â
He swivels on his heel, a watercolor work of a river still in his hand, to look back at Bill. Heâs still standing at the entrance, watching him with a small smile. It makes his whole heart flutter.
âWhat is this place?â he asks, gesturing to the whole room.
Bill comes to stand by him, taking the painting in Willâs hand to examine, âBenâs boss bought this place for his architecture firm and apparently the basement was filled with this stuff. Whoever owned the building before ap-aparently was an avid art collector.â
âA âcollectorâ is putting it lightly, this is more like a hoarderâs work. This is insane,â He walks over to a sculpture of a womanâs head made from clay, âThis stuff belongs in an art show or a museum! I have never seen so much art in one room before!â He pauses for a moment, âWhat do they plan on doing with all of this?â
âWell Benâs boss planned on tossing it all since most of it isnât from any famous artists,â Willâs heart sinks, âBut Ben convinced him to donate it to an art school, make the business look good,â he finishes.
âYes, good publicity in exchange for not throwing away a collection of peopleâs hard work,â he doesnât mean to sound bitter but some people will just never understand art. Itâs just a thing that takes up space in their new office building.Â
Bill just hums, âWell I did manage to convince Ben to let you take your pick of the art here before it gets donated.â He hands Will back the painting.Â
He feels as if heâs a kid in a candy store and his mom just said he could get whatever he wants. âI can take whatever I want? Are you sure?â
âOne hundred percent, you have a deep appreciation for art and youâll actually care about these pieces,â He stands in front of him and Will realizes how close they've gotten. Bill reaches out and tucks a strand of his hair behind his ear, his hand lingering, âIâm really suh-sorry about earlier by the way. You make me nervous.â
âYou donât have to apologize, I donât date often because most people also make me nervous,â he leans into Billâs hand, remembering what Richie had said earlier about Billâs ex and how he has hesitations about people getting to know the real him. He's not going to be one of those people that 'burn' him.
âIâm honored to be your date tonight then,â Bill murmurs.
Theyâre so close their breaths are mingling and right when Billâs eyes flutter shut and he leans down to kiss him, Will slyly ducks out from under his arm, âCome on! We got art to go through!âÂ
Bill sighs, amused, âOkay where do you want to start?â
For the next hour, they go through every canvas and every sketch. Will pays no attention to the sculptures as he doesnât think heâll have room for them in his dorm.
During this he learns that Bill used to sketch a lot when he was younger before diving into writing and like his writing, he would draw horror. Bill ends up taking home a sketch of a rib cage with flowers blooming through the ribs. He still has a passion for macabre works of art.Â
Will on the other hand takes home a painting of a lonely cabin scene and two sketches, one of a beautiful man with wings and another of a bed of flowers. Plus he took the watercolor painting of the river that he first grabbed. Honestly he was holding back.
âI canât believe you didnât want that painting of the naked chicken,â Bill says as he loads Will's painting into the backseat of his truck.
âIt was a featherless chicken, not a naked one,â he corrects, still a little disgusted by how detailed it was. He jumps into the passenger seat as Bill is getting into the driver's seat.
âThat st-still counts as naked.âÂ
âWhy do you do that? Trip on words sometimes?â He realizes how insensitive that sounds too late, âWait! You donât have to answer that! Iâm sorry!â
âHey, itâs okay! Youâre a lot nicer about asking about it than s-some people,â Bill reaches over and takes a hold of his hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze, âI used to have a horrible st-stutter and Iâve almost got it under control, it still comes out I guess.â
Will squeezes his hand back, âI think itâs kinda cute- if thatâs okay to say?â
âThatâs okay to say,â he raises their entwined hands and kisses the back of Willâs hand. His lips feel soft.Â
He feels the need to share something intimate about himself. What did Richie say, talk about the deep stuff? Fuck it, heâs going to do that.
âIâm a virgin.â Well, thatâs one way to say it, Will.
Billâs eyebrow furrows, âI wasnât planning on trying to get into your p-pants if thatâs what-â
âNo no no,â shit he made Bill get defensive, he honestly could have said that better, âI didnât think that you were! Just you shared something personal about yourself and I wanted to do that too! Earlier Richie told me to talk about the âdeep stuffâ with you and- God I donât know; I feel like I just messed this all up.â
A big hand cups the side of his face, forcing him to meet Billâs eye, âYou didnât mess anything up,â Bill soothes, âAnd Richie is an idiot but Iâm glad he told you we should talk about the deep stuff. Eventually, weâre going to have to have a conversation about your luh-limits in the bedroom and what youâre comfortable with and you will be the one to set those,â Will positively colors at that but it takes a weight off his chest he hadnât realized was there, âIâm happy you shared that with me, thank you for trusting me enough to tell me that.â
Will knows that when he loses his virginity, he wants to lose it to Bill but like Bill said, thatâs a conversation for another time. Right now all he can focus on is, âYou said âeventuallyâ implying you want to see me more?â
Bill smiles at him boyishly, âAs if that was a question. I p-plan on annoying you for a long while, hope youâre okay with that.â
His entire being is beaming. The boys Will likes arenât supposed to return his feelings- especially not boys like Bill Denrbough. âYeah, I think Iâm more than okay with that.âÂ
Neither of them wants to move despite how late itâs getting. Foolishly the romantic side of him is thinking about how he doesnât want this night to end. Their hands are still linked over the middle console and Billâs hand is still cupping his cheek, his thumb brushing against the side of his face.Â
âCan I kiss you?â Bill asks softly.
In lew of words, Will just nods his head. Sure heâs been kissed before. Once in middle school by Sally Mae behind the bleachers, the kiss that solidified that he liked boys, and then once in a game of spin the bottle with Lucas. Both of them were chased and lacked any of the emotion that Bill has when he kisses him. His lips are soft.
He has to remind himself to close his eyes. Bill takes the lead and presses and disconnects their lips a couple of times, pulling back minutely to nudge his nose against his and he gets the hint, he starts to move his lips as well. He can feel Bill smiling. Itâs when heâs getting the hang of this that Bill swipes his tongue against his bottom lip. It felt foreign yet good and he gasps when Bill does it again. Billâs tongue travels into his mouth slowly, licking and mapping it out. Will lets go of his hand and grasps his shoulders, trying to ground himself. He doesnât have much to compare this to but he thinks Bill is a very good kisser. The noises heâs making he would find a little embarrassing any other time but right now he's not in any capacity to care.Â
Disappointedly, Bill breaks the kiss, resting his forehead against his, âI really like you, William Byers.â
Will blushes, âI really like you too, William Denbrough.âÂ
A/N: AHA okay you can tell that for some reason I really struggled to find my footing writing this and with the dialogue but,,,this is my second draft of the chapter and I'm still not happy with it and I didn't have it in my to start over.
That being said I am really happy with how the ending turned out. I love soft boys.
This is the last chapter for WillBill as in part three we will be seeing how the rest of Wheelzier and Elstan's night went...that one will definitely be at least rated M bc Wheelzier :0
Thank you for reading! I always appreciate the people that read my rare pair nonsense!










